ACW Batrep - The Battle of Brownsville 1862

 

The Rejects got together for our first game of the year. a couple of Sunday's ago. Postie decided to put on an American Civil War game, using his own version of Fire n Fury.

It was bloody cold in the shed, can you tell?

When I first started gaming proper more than 30 years ago, I used to love Fire n Fury. Not anymore.

We changed from the 10 sided dice several years ago because I and other were sick to death of the, he threw a 10, I threw a 1 scenario, that although random, struck deep in my soul and enjoyment.

As I've said to the lads before, you can be a tactical genius and still be soundly beaten by a mushroom.

Postie took notice of our whines and changed the rules to 2 D6, which kinda worked, BUT in this game it really showed that it doesn't work. Obviously throwing 2 D6, the result of a 7 is more likely and it was ever so true in this game!

This is a moany batrep I'm afraid, if you hadn't realised already???

The sides were picked out completely randomly, I ended up on the left flank of the Confederate left, with Lee centre left, Smiffy centre right and Steve on our right flank.

Facing me was Surj, in the centre was Richard and facing Steve was Dan.

Smiffy and Steve's troops on our right.

My command facing Surj, in column on the hill.

My 4 units facing Surj's 7 units and we were attacking????

Lee's 4 units attacking Richard's horde in the centre.

At the start of the game, we were allowed a 5 minute chat to try and work out a plan......ha!

We all knew we were doomed before we rolled a dice, we were attacking and were severely outnumbered.

What the hell was Postie thinking?

The only thing we could do was push forward as fast as we could to try and catch the Union trying to set up??

Steve kind of had the easier job on our right flank as Dan's troops were hemmed in between a wood and the river, so it would take him a little longer to get into a useful defensive formation.

I quickly moved up and took control of the woods. While Surg was trying to deploy from column.

I unlimbered my guns by the road, to hopefully stop Surj moving across and attacking Lee in the centre.

Its a race to the fenceline!

Smiffy's 3 artillery were so far back we wondered if he'd ever get them deployed, let alone fire.

Surj came off the hill?

We getting closer.

In a very desperate move, I charged both my units out of the woods into Surg's troops, taking heavy fire as I did, from both muskets and cannister fire.

Surj moved into the open ground, I'm glad I unlimbered my artillery there now!

I moved around the table to take a look at what was going on between Steve and Dan.

Steve has charged in and Dan is still trying to find the room to come out of coloum.

Posties rather snazzy looking fort, lucky for us the guns were pointed out across the river!

Dan and Richard's defence.

Going downhill fast
Steve, Smiffy and Lee

Thinks are looking up?

We got some reinforcements on the table. Jeb Stuart and his cavalry have arrived!

Lee charges in!

So does Steve!!!

Three happy Rejects and the evil one!

Steve wins his melee

Lee takes a battering going in....

With his centre unit getting smashed before he hits the fence!

Unsurprisingly, Lee loses both melee's and is pushed back.

Meanwhile some seriously dodgy movement gives Surj the advantage.

And back I go with big loses too!

It was the end of the turn and also the end of the game, we all agreed to throw in the towel and give up and go get a cup of tea!

Conclusion

Postie set up a really great looking game using a 6 x 15 foot tabletop, but the winning conditions for the Rebs were an impossible task. He set the winner as whoever could cause most casualties, being as we were outnumbered and attacking, it was out of our each......oh well, we live to fight another day!!!

The Battle of Steve's Creek 1862 - A 15mm ACW Batrep

 

Posties wouldn't tell us what game we were playing, I should have guessed it was the American Civil War. I've nothing against playing the ACW apart from the rules we use, "Fire n Fury". At one point I will admit to loving the rules, but that was many moons ago, now they fill me with a sense of dread and anger. I've said it before, you could have the tactical genius of a mushroom and as long as you keep throwing high you'll win. I've had my fair share of wins and my fair share of losses with these rules, most of the losses were ones where I could quite easily hang up the dice and take up crochet!

So when Postie said those memorable words Fire & Fury, there were a few groans and a few swear words, none from Steve though, the newbie Reject, he's yet to suffer the rules. They can't be that bad he said. "You wait, Steve, you'll find out what we mean"

The set up

We picked out sides, Lee and myself were the Confederates.

Steve and Surj were the Union.

Lee photobombs my pic.

I've included it as punishment, doesn't he look a tit!

Postie then told us he's changed the rules slightly, we are no longer using a D10 for all throws, he wanted to even out the rolls and stop the 10-1 throw that comes at a crucial melee roll. We'd now be rolling 2 x D6, with tables increased to 12 instead of the usual 10.

"OK, that might work?" 

Although it was a meeting engagement, we knew we'd be doing the attacking.

Above are my troops, the 1st Corps commanded by Longstreet, the 1st to 5th Virginia

Lee's troops on the right are the 1st Corps 2nd Division commanded by Hood

the 1st-5th Texas

In a surprising move, Steve moved over the hill, I thought he'd set up on the hill?

Surj was spread out quite a bit so, we thought we'd have a good chance on beating Surj's men from the 2nd Div under Ricketts, the 1st to 4th Pennsylvania

Forward!!

First blood goes to our artillery!

Its always difficult to get organized for an attack in FnF, you never know if a unit will throw bad for movement. Luckily I'd left enough room if things went bad, which this turn they didn't.

Steve's column middle left had no room to go into line, unless he wanted to get his feet wet?

On the right, Lee moves through the cornfield.

Steve moved his column back, only leaving 1 unit out front, but he did 3 artillery pieces pointing at me!

Surj got into a defensive line with his artillery out on his left flank. 

Well that's buggered that then, our advantage that you need when attacking has gone. The Union get some reinforments on the board, The Rhode Island cavalry turn up on the road on our left. I told Lee before the game that this was gonna happen, when I saw the way Postie had laid out the terrain.

That's taken one of my units out of the attack

Lee squares up to Surj

I moved up to block the bridge and moved within charge range for next turn.

Will Steve charge me in column?

Lee doing his thang!

The Union players, yes I'm including Postie in that!

Steve charges me before I get the chance!

He threw bad I threw good.

This  invoked Steve's first swear word about the dice and the rules!

I did manage to silence one of Steve's artillery, which had to move back off of the hill.

Steve dismounted his cavalry, they now became the best unit on the table.

I moved my guns off the hill, to try and get a shot on the Union troops on the hill.

Surj is hiding in the corn, lets hope both units charge eh, Lee?

This isn't good, Surj charges 2 units into Lee's already decimated unit.

Hmm? What to charge?

Lee needs to charge, but unseen on he hill are the Union guns, they'll do some damage IF they throw well.

I wanted to charge both my units, but the one in the centre only had half move so wouldn't reach, which was a bit of a pain, I'm sure I popped a few blood vessels at this!!!

Lee does the Reb thing and charges as well.

I moved my damaged unit on the right up past the 1/2 move boys, mainly to protect them, as they hadn't had any causalities yet.

Not really sure who's winning the game at the moment?

Lee moves his guns forward so he can shoot at something.

I throw badly and am pushed back and receive a n orange marker meaning "Not Fresh"

Which is very bad!

Lee has a bit more luck than me.....

He thrashes the Union troops pushing them back nearly off the table.

An exchange of fire at the bridge.

And Steve charges as well.

Lee advances into the cornfield, with a bit of luck he can charge again next turn and hit the worn Union troops!

Steve's 2 charges go either way.

I knock Steve back to the bottom of the hill, but he knocks me back a full move in the other melee and follows up on my troops guarding the bridge.

But lady luck is on my side this turn and I beat Steve back.

This made Steve's eye twitch like Herbert Lom, whenever Inspector Clouseau walks in the room.

Steve was heard muttering under his breath.

A different angle of the same scene.

Back in I go in the centre, including the 1/2 move boys!

Lee charges as well, but threw a 3 to Surj's 9, so was pushed back.

It was getting late, so we knew it was the last turn. I charge the Union guns and soon wished I hadn't as my unit received a red marker going worn.

I knock back both of Steve's units.

And charge again on the follow up!

But here was where the game was won.

Surj's off pic artillery threw an enfilade shot at Lee's unit on the right in the cornfield.

Surj only went and threw a 12, the one and only time during the game a 12 was rolled.

The unit lost 2 stands of figures which made it go worn and the exceptional leader was killed 

So there the game ended, Postie added up the scores. The Union claimed a victory, 12-9. If Surj hadn't thrown that 12 on that turn we would have won the game!

The changes Postie made to the rules worked very well, so I might give Fire & Fury another chance, until the next game of course!

Silly bloody rules!

I was going to type all this out, but in the end didn't. You can see both sides were severely mauled throughout the game. I still think we need more troops as we were attacking and most of our loses came before we even got into melee, due to artillery fire. We ended up with only 2 units in a fit state to fight, while the Union finished with 4. Now that tells me we need another 2 units at least?

But hey ho, what can you do....